A vote in favor of keeping plastic bags

I am writing this letter to voice my objection to the drive to get rid of plastic bags.

Everyone I talk to feels the same way. Listed below are some of the reasons:

Dog walkers: Carry one or two bags -- one to pick up after their pet and the other to dispose of the material.

Diaper changers: Place soiled diapers in a plastic bag and then dispose of them. This is more sanitary than simply throwing them in the trash barrel.

Newspapers are delivered in plastic bags in order to protect them from the elements.

Plastic bags make excellent wastebasket liners.

Garbage Bags -- scraps from food preparation as well as other scrap material which cannot be recycled.

Many bags are recycled at food banks, stores, businesses and by individuals.

My husband and I are handicapped so my husband does the shopping using the Power Chair. I stay in the car and I see people coming out of the store with the bags they purchased ... and yet most of them also have items in plastic bags. It is not practical to put all items in non-disposable bags since some create moisture. Soft fruit and vegetables such as peaches and tomatoes bruise easily and it is not a good idea to pack them in nondisposable bags. Over-packing these bags make them impossibly heavy.

Manufacturing of plastic bags will decline, creating more job losses. All we read about in the newspaper is about those who are against the use of plastic bags. I am sure there are more people who are for the use of these bags than against them. I hope the Fairfield RTM looks into this before passing an ordinance to ban the use of plastic bags.

Regarding the plastic bag dilemma: There are many people who dread seeing the demise of the plastic bags, myself included. These bags have so many uses, especially for garbage.

However, there could be a solution. I recently went to a farmers market and was pleasantly surprised when I saw they were using plastic bags with these words printed on them in big green letters: "100% Biodegradable Bag."

If the stores would substitute these bags for what they are now using, even though no doubt the consumer may have to pay a little more at the checkout counter, wouldn't it be worth it? To have to buy boxes of bags, which are cheap, could be a hardship for many people, especially in these times.

If the new bags were put into use, the plastic bag lovers would be happy and the environment wouldn't suffer.

A lot has been written about the litter caused by plastic bags, although I personally have not seen much of this. So, if there is litter with the new bags, at least it would be "environmentally friendly" litter.